Iran Says That Western Claims Show That Its Drones “Effective”

Sunday, Iranian media reported that Iran’s top general said that Western claims that Russia is using Iran’s drones against Ukraine show the “effectiveness” of Tehran’s unmanned aerial vehicles.

During the months-long conflict, Kyiv and its Western allies have said that Russia attacked Ukraine with drones made in Iran, which did a lot of damage to civilian and energy infrastructure.

In response, the West has put sanctions on a number of Iranian companies and military generals, including Major General Mohammad Bagheri, who is in charge of Iran’s armed forces.

Tehran had repeatedly denied sending weapons “to be used” in the war in Ukraine, but it admitted in early November that it had sent drones to Russia before the invasion began in February.

“The use of Iranian drones in the Ukraine war is part of the enemy’s psychological warfare,” Bagheri was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency. He was referring to the United States and its allies when he said this.

“Even though many of these claims may not be true, this shows how good, important, and high-ranking the Islamic republic is when it comes to drones.”

The United States and Israel, which are Iran’s biggest enemies, say that Tehran sends fleets of drones to its proxies in the Middle East, like the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Iran began making drones, also called unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), during its eight-year war with Iraq in the 1980s.

Bagheri said that UAVs will still be made in Iran.

“The country’s armed forces will continue to grow and improve their drones,” he told Tasnim. “We will work with other countries on drones.”

“Our drone systems are among the best in the world in terms of accuracy, durability, and the ability to keep running and completing missions,” he said.